The UN Security Council is due to meet on Wednesday to assess what the United Nations says is a steadily worsening and increasingly complex threat from ISIS, with Afghanistan among the key areas of concern.
The meeting will hear briefings on the Secretary-General’s 22nd biannual strategic report on the threat posed by Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIL (ISIS or Da’esh), which says the group has intensified its activities across multiple regions since August 2025.
The report warns that ISIS continues to exploit armed conflict, political instability and weak governance, posing a persistent danger not only to international peace and security but also to human rights and development. Africa is identified as the most serious theatre, with ISIL affiliates expanding control in parts of West Africa and the Sahel, driving mass displacement, civilian casualties and disruptions to humanitarian aid.
In the Middle East, the report says ISIS remains active in Syria and Iraq, maintaining an estimated 3,000 fighters across the two countries and seeking to inflame sectarian tensions. It also highlights continuing concerns over overcrowded detention camps in northeastern Syria holding ISIS fighters and their families, warning that dire conditions risk further radicalisation.
Council members are expected to reiterate condemnation of ISIS and to stress the need for coordinated international responses, while differences remain over how to balance security measures with human rights and international law. Briefers are also likely to flag ISIS’s growing use of technologies such as digital currencies, artificial intelligence tools and uncrewed aircraft systems.
Afghanistan in focus
The report places particular emphasis on Afghanistan, warning that the Islamic State’s regional affiliate, known as ISIS-K, remains a serious threat with both regional and international ambitions.
According to the Secretary-General, ISIS-K is active in northern Afghanistan and near the border with Pakistan and has retained “potent operational capability”. The group carried out an attack in Kabul on Jan. 19 that killed six Afghans and one Chinese national, an incident condemned by the Security Council in a subsequent press statement.
The findings underscore ongoing concerns among council members about Afghanistan’s security trajectory and the potential for the country to serve as a base for transnational attacks, even as international attention remains focused on other conflict zones.
The meeting will be chaired by UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Chris Elmore and will feature briefings from senior UN counter-terrorism officials.
